I have spoken in previous blogs about visiting local conservation parks and native forest reserves to observe native plant relationships for planting design ideas. Using local indigenous plants or local native plants in your garden has many benefits and not just purely aesthetic. Some of those benefits include;

  • better suited to the local climate and so more adaptable to changing climate
  • improving local biodiversity that provides food and protection for local wildlife and enhances wildlife corridors
  • bush food – some local bush foods include Muntries, Native Raspberry, Yam Daisy and Ruby Saltbush
  • cut flowers and foliage, and dried displays using dry native grasses
  • generally very low water and maintenance requirements once established
  • ongoing connection to local nature and habitat within ones own garden
  • supporting local native plant nurseries and growers

If you are planning a native garden using local native plants it is a good idea to get a sense of native plant arrangements from a natural and holistic perspective, then you can more successfully translate those ideas into an urban setting with a level of authenticity. It may just be specific plant’s habit or shape, contrasting foliage and flowers or perhaps a mood/ambience invoked by a particular plant arrangement.

Mt Gawler Native Forest Reserve – magnificent arching trunks of Eucalyptus obliqua (Messmate Stringy Bark), gently dominate a ground layer carpet of low shrubbery, including Pultenaea, Hibbertia, Lepidosperma, Ixodia and Hakea. Capturing a hint of this natural setting above in an urban space (image below), can be as simple as grouping a few smaller gums, in this instance a dwarf variety of Eucalyptus leucoxylon (Euky Dwarf), that overlay a ground layer of Dianellas (Native Flax Lilly)

Whilst in a park try an immerse yourself in the surrounding environment, let your senses guide you, focus on individual plants, plant associations and the various layers of foliage and how they interrelate. Note what you like or attracts your attention such as flowers and foliage, and their various colours and textures, massed plant groupings both single and multiple species and plants thriving in sun and shade etc. Try to engage in how nature arranges our local flora and ascertain what elements you could draw upon for your own garden. For local native plant identification the following reference books are useful to carry with you in parks;

Focus on Flora (Kersbrook Landcare Group), source online or check your local library

The Native Plants of Adelaide ( Baghurst/Tout-Smith), source online or check your local library

Before entering a park, particularly a conservation park or native forest reserve there are a few general and self-imposed rules I follow to reduce impacts to these fragile ecosystems;

  • initially conduct an on-line search for parks in your region (or closest to), and determine if any maps or accessibility via tracks and walking trails, and observe any access restrictions particularly in fireban season
  • observe (any) signage at parks entry points for park info, restrictions etc. Suggest optimum time to visit parks between April and October (mid Autumn to mid Spring as most plants flower in this period)
  • check and sterilise soles of walking shoes at entry and exit to parks to reduce contamination risk to parks via soil borne diseases and/or foreign weed seeds on shoe soles – I carry a brush and spray bottle of meth/spirits in my car in a small box, which I place my shoes in on return and use to clean shoes in, if dirty. If shoes are muddy following a walk then clean off at home once dry (preferably into garbage bin), then sterilise
  • keep to walking trails and/or designated tracks at all times to reduce human induced edge effects.
  • I always carry a basic 1st aid kit, water and phone (phone camera  good enough to capture ideas/plants/flowers etc)
Anstey Hill Recreation Park – Spear Grass amongst Acacia trunks, an interesting play of light, colour and silhouette with dry native grasses in the  late afternoon sun. Below – dry Spear grasses in an urban garden, starting to glow in late afternoon sun

Bear in mind that Adelaide’s conservation parks and forest reserves probably represent the closest examples of urban fringe and local foothills landscape pre-European settlement. Unfortunately there are only a few of these relatively intact habitats left as much has been lost to urban, fringe and rural development. These parks need our respect if they are to endure so when you visit, ‘touch the ground lightly.’

Contact Landimpact if you need any more info or guidance on the above, or if you need advice, direction and support in planning and developing your own native garden.

In a future post I will discuss ways to translate information and ideas collected in these parks into an urban garden setting

Words and images – Paul Vreugdenhil